Round the Mountain to Region's Artisans

There are some incredible artisans in this part of country. When spending a Saturday afternoon in downtown Stuart a while back, I heard about Round the Mountain. It’s a program under the Virginia Works Initiative that began in 2004 to assist the artisans in southwest Virginia with marketing, educational, and entrepreneurial opportunities. It is establishing a craft trail network, much like the Crooked Road does with music, through 19 counties in this part of the Commonwealth. Patrick County, where the Fairystone Cabin is located, is one of the counties.

The Round the Mountain Web Site

If you’re into pottery, photography, painting, crafts, homemade preserves, road side produce stands and the like, you’ll want to check out the Round the Mountain web site, http://www.roundthemountain.org/. It lists a bunch of events along the route where you can meet the farmers and artists and see their goods.

For example, the first event I clicked on was “Art Off the Wall,” a show that features seven artisans in seven different three-dimensional media: clay, wood, stone, stained glass, fabric, metal, and lampwork glass beads. It takes place in Floyd, May 1st through May 3rd. Pretty cool! There are many events like that on the site.

Artists in the Fairystone Cabin

When we began furnishing the Fairystone Cabin, we decided we would do our best to buy things that came from Virginia. The artists and craftspeople are so talented here, why not enjoy their work in the cabin? Most of our furniture, crafts, pottery, photos, and paintings are from south and west Virginia. (A few things came from central Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley.) Traveling to the communities around Fairystone to make the cabin a home has been fun. We’ve seen cool places, met some great people, and learned much about the region.

On a Roll

The first “art” we purchased for the cabin was a series of nature photos taken by Burton Floyd, an incredibly talented photographer and friend from the Shenandoah Valley. His work has been featured in Blue Ridge Country Magazine. http://www.burtonfloyd.com/ The photo at the top of this post is one of his.

Hanging his photos in the cabin gave us the idea of staying “local,” or at least staying “Virginia.” We followed the photos with a painting of Mabry Mill that we found in downtown Stuart. Then a candle holder we came across in Floyd. A cool handmade vase, also from Floyd, came next. We were off and running. The furniture is from Bassett, Rocky Mount, and Roanoke. A painting by P. Buckley Moss brought some central Virginia into the mix.

It’s All Right Here

This region has so much to offer with the incredible music, trails, lakes, rivers, mountains, and scenery. Don’t forget to add art to the list.

Richmond Times Features Crooked Road

I was excited to see a full page story about the Crooked Road in Sunday's (April 5th) edition of the Richmond Times. http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/travel/regional/article/S-ROAD05_20090401-203837/246700/It was written by Bill Lohmann who has been covering travel and feature stories in Virginia for years. I wrote about the Crooked Road a couple of blog posts ago. Four of its major sites are close to our cabin. Lohmann's online story includes a link to a great slide show about the Road.

Crooked Road Sites

In his article, Lohmann lists eight sites along the Crooked Road and he also includes what he calls "partners"--- places along the Road like the Dairy Queen in Rocky Mount where you can find live bluegrass every Thursday from 9 to 10 a.m. in addition to weekly jams.

We Had No Idea

When we bought our cabin a few years ago, we purchased it because of it's proximity to Fairystone State Park---right next door---and all the great things the Park has to offer. Knowing the Blue Ridge Parkway was close by was also a factor. But we had no idea that it was on the Crooked Road. Talk about luck!

Spreading the Word

Stories like the one in yesterday's Richmond Times certainly help inform others about this incredibly unique and important stretch of road that connects to the roots of country music. I've seen and heard more and more stories in the media about the Road in the last couple years. The people in charge of the marketing it are doing an excellent job. Hopefully, especially as people vacation a little closer to home this year, Virginians and North Carolinains will take advantage of this wonderful stretch of American history.

The Fairystone Cabin's Greatest Hits

Have you ever noticed how a setting or a place can determine the kind of music you listen to? Go to a fine dining restaurant and you may hear classical music being piped in. Head to the ocean and some people put an oldies station on their radios. Working out at the gym might mean rock music is in the air.

Log Cabin Music

When I drive to the Fairystone Cabin and the Crooked Road area, I suddenly have an incredible hankerin’ for country and bluegrass. The closer I get, the more I turn up the volume. I’m not sure if it’s the feeling a log cabin gives me or if it’s the region’s unrivaled music tradition. To me, the cabin means great American music. So, why not create a soundtrack---a greatest hits of log cabin music?

Check out the Landing Page

While trying to learn more about blogging the other night, I came across a gadget that allows bloggers to put music on their web pages. I immediately thought of the classic songs I enjoy when I’m at the cabin. So, today I introduce the Fairystone Cabin’s Greatest Hits. If you’re on the landing page of the blog, the list is on the right side of the page. Click on any of the titles and you can hear a snippet of the song.

The Request Line is Open

If you have any suggestions of songs you like to hear when you hang out in a cabin, please let me know. I’ll be happy to change the music on the Greatest Hits list from time to time. The current list features country songs. I may have to start working on a bluegrass list, too. The Fairystone Cabin is an extremely special place. It not only means relaxation, hiking, and spending time with family. But it also means great music---whether inside the cabin or in the many surrounding communities. Turn up the volume!

A Crooked Road to America's Music

When driving this 250-mile stretch of road across southern Virginia you’ll see some of the most beautiful country in America. But the Crooked Road offers more than breathtaking ridges, mountains, creeks, and rivers.

This stretch of one and two lane highway is historically significant. If you like music---especially bluegrass, country, and old time music----you’ll find this piece of road is extremely significant. The very beginning of American music is traced to the towns along the Crooked Road. It all started here.

From the Fairystone Cabin

There are eight major heritage music venues along the Crooked Road. I first learned about them in Joe Wilson’s book, A Guide to the Crooked Road:Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail. There is a wealth of information available regarding the Crooked Road. A good place to start is: http://www.thecrookedroad.org/

Of the eight venues, four of them are close to our cabin, located next to Fairystone State Park. They include:

1. Blue Ridge Institute and Museum
2. Floyd Country Store
3. Blue Ridge Music Center
4. Rex Theatre & Old Fiddlers Convention

Blue Ridge Institute & Museum

The “BRI” is located at Ferrum College in the small town of Ferrum. It’s open all year and it’s a terrific place to learn about the Crooked Road, its music, and people. The displays here are excellent and the Museum puts forth great effort to rotate the exhibits and keep things interesting. You can see and hear the music thanks to audio and video displays. The big annual event at the BRI is its Blue Ridge Folklife Festival held on the fourth Saturday in October. The website link is at the right of this page.

Floyd Country Store

There aren’t many places like the Floyd Country Store. You realize just how many people, from all walks of life, enjoy the music when you visit this unique place. On the far back wall, for instance, is a photo of then Virginia Gov. Mark Warner jamming on stage with then Lt. Gov. Tim Kaine. The live music here on weekends gets people get up and dancing. You haven’t lived until you’ve experience the Friday Night Jamboree there. See the website link on the right column of this page.

Blue Ridge Music Center

As if the Blue Ridge Parkway isn’t already incredible, add the Blue Ridge Music Center at mile 213 to the experience. Established by Congress, it’s open from May through October. This outdoor venue also hosts an exhibit hall that tells the story of the music. The music here is great and scenery is awesome. For a schedule, check out: http://www.blueridgemusiccenter.org/.

Rex Theatre & Old Fiddlers Convention

Live audience, live music, and live radio combine to make a great experience at Blue Ridge Backroads at the Rex. Since 1999, the concert has been broadcast live on Blue Ridge Country 98.1 FM. The Rex is home to many other events, too, throughout the year. It’s located in Galax.

The Old Fiddlers convention has been around for almost three-quarters of a century. In the second week of August each year, people flock to Galax to hear incredible music.

Try It You’ll Like It

If you haven’t experienced the Crooked Road, I highly recommend you do. Whether just visiting one of the major stops, or driving from one end of the Road to the other, you’ll see beautiful scenery, listen to great music, and learn how it all started in southern Virginia.

Beautiful Log Cabin for Rent!

After months of discussion, we've finally decided to rent our beautiful log cabin to people looking for an outstanding getaway in the woods. It's simply too nice to keep to ourselves. (And, to be honest, we can use the money for our kids' college funds!)

Our cabin is located right next door to Fairystone State Park, one of Virginia's many fantastic, award-winning parks. Fairystone is in Patrick County, ten miles from the small community of Bassett. It's also 14 miles from the town of Ferrum. Basically, it's close to many places but in the middle of nowhere at the same time.

Our cabin is three years old. It's located in a small, quiet "neighborhood" of about 20 log homes. The main floor includes a master bedroom with a queen size bed and a full master bathroom, a second full bathroom, fireplace, living room, dining room and complete kitchen. There's a deck in the back and a great covered porch in the front. Upstairs, two lofts have two single beds each.

Log "cabin" may be misleading. It's really a log "home." New and comfortable. No phone and cell service is spotty inside the cabin. No internet, either. Staying here means being unplugged. But, it's comfortable. A flat screen with over 100 DVDs, CD player and radio, air conditioning, microwave, dishes, silverware, cookware, etc. We provide everything except for food and toiletries.

We know the economy is making it tough for many people to take a break and get away. So, we decided to charge rates similar to those charged for the cabins in the state park next door. However, the experience in our cabin is different. The cabins in the park are smaller and rustic. Ours is bigger and modern.

Our rates are $625 for one week (Saturday to Saturday). Three-day weekends are $275. A two-night weekend stay is $190. We ask that your family or group consist of four or fewer people. No pets. No smoking. Please e-mail us at logcabin@embarqmail.com if you are interested or have any questions.

So, why a blog? When people like you aren't staying in the cabin, we probably will be there---at least on weekends. So, I thought I would tell you about the cabin and the area by blogging after each one of our visits. I'll write about the hiking, music, food, nearby towns, sites, and all the cabin and surrounding area have to offer. I hope you enjoy the blog and I hope you'll think about staying at our log home. There is no better way to relax and re-charge your batteries. Thanks.